Writing this while manning the trick-or-treat duties. Not a lot of kids so far this year[^3], which is surprising. Last year we had a decent turnout even with COVID and it being below freezing.

Y, the First Book

I started re-reading Y: The Last Man. We’ve been watching the TV series on Hulu, but I’d forgotten the exact plot beats of the comic. Y was the first comic I got into when I got back into comics as an adult, and I’m enjoying how the TV series is going deeper into some character’s backstories, being more subtle about others[^1], and splitting other characters into multiple characters (and going deeper into the backstories of both!). I’m glad it’s getting the treatment it deserves.

Elfa on the shelf

I ripped down a bunch of builder’s favorite Closetmaid shelves in our house this week, and replaced them with Elfa shelving. They aren’t cheap, but I do like that you can set the entire thing up with 6 screws in a headrail, and then make infinite[^2] layers of shelves in-between. The only complaint is that every piece has a sticker on it, and about 84% of the installation time is peeling stickers and getting rid of packaging.

etc

Lorelei is back home with a pile of candy. Small turnout this year so… I think I’m gonna help myself to <s>one</s> <s>two</s> a few of these candies we bought to hand out.

Oh and if you’re curious, my Halloween candy power rankings:

1. Butterfinger. They are way too sweet and I would never eat one outside of Halloween but that once a year sensation of jamming them all up in your gums is chef’s kiss.
2. Kit Kat. Also not a candy I enjoy outside of Halloween, but I appreciate that they’ve optimized for sharing.
3. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups/Bats/Vampires/Mummies/whatever. I’m old enough that I find Reese’s peanut butter horrifyingly sweet, but again, once a year, gimme gimme.
4. All of the sour / fruit flavored stuff.
5. Everything else. Not because any of them are bad, but because we live in such a land of plenty that anything that isn’t immediately consumed has to quickly fight with Thanksgiving pies and then Christmas candies and then on a day in the deepest, darkest part of February you’ll find a leftover Snickers in the cupboard and eat it and it will bring you no joy, only despair in the knowledge that time marches ever onward, and even the sweetest treats can be reduced to a stale, tasteless lump of its former glory.

Happy Halloween!

[^1]: No spoilers, but the comic starts off by throwing a bunch of theories at the reader as to why all the men died, and the TV series is very much keeping one of them a secret! [^2]: Or like, 8, max. It’s still a clever system. [^3]: By the time I finished writing this we were at about 20 trick-or-treaters, closer to average for this house.